The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for providing alias information to be associated with identification information that corresponds to a calling party (a caller ID). More specifically, the present invention is directed to providing separate alias information to be associated with a calling party number in a database where the calling party can designate the identification information that is to be provided when a query searches for the caller ID.
It is well known how to provide a service referred to as calling party ID in telecommunication systems. The function of this service is to permit the called party to receive information that identifies the calling party without need for answering the call. This feature has had great usefulness in such environments as emergency services where an emergency response team is the called party and it receives information identifying the calling party and that information can be cross-referenced to other database information that identifies the location of the calling party. The usefulness of this functionality has also increased in the telecommunication consumer market as many subscribers are interested in screening phone calls to determine whether the calling party is one with whom the called party wishes to speak at any given time.
An example of a known configuration for implementing the caller ID function is shown in FIG. 1. For the purposes of this example, it is presumed that the caller at telephone 102 wishes to make a connection to the party at telephone 113. It is further presumed that the party at telephone 113 has subscribed to a caller ID service. Thus, the subscriber at telephone 113 will be provided with calling party identification information for each telephone call which is directed to that telephone. When the party at telephone 102 initiates the call through its originating switch 100 and the call is routed through a network, represented by line 140 and data line 141, to terminating LEC switch 110, the terminating switch recognizes that the call is directed to the subscriber at telephone 113. The switch also recognizes that the subscriber at telephone 113 has the calling party ID functionality. Therefore, the terminating switch sends a query to a name database 120 along data line 115. The name database will send back a public name that is associated with the calling party. Typically this public name is the billing name for the subscriber at telephone 102. The calling party number and the name accessed from the name database 120 are then transferred from the terminating switch to the telephone 113 and displayed for review by the subscriber at telephone 113 or in an adjacent device provided to effect the service. The subscriber can then make a decision as to whether to answer the telephone call, have an answering machine answer, or allow the phone call to go unanswered.
The calling party ID functionality recognizes that a number of parties in the system may have what are commonly referred to as unlisted phone numbers or have asked that their calling party name be maintained as private. In those circumstances, when the terminating switch requests caller ID information from the name database, the name database will provide information back to the terminating switch indicating that the number is unlisted or that the calling party is of a permanent privacy status. The terminating switch will not provide the called party with a name but with an indication of name unavailability, e.g., xe2x80x9canonymousxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cunknownxe2x80x9d.
It is also well known how to permit the calling party to select, on a per call basis, whether to block access to the name information in the database for a normally available caller ID or to permit access to the name database even though the calling party is normally in the permanent private status. This can be accomplished by having the calling party enter a specific code on the telephone keypad, e.g., *69 or *82, and have that code associated with the telephone call as it is routed through the network. When the terminating switch receives the code, for instance a code which indicates that access to the name database is blocked (*69), the terminating switch will not even attempt a query to the database but instead will provide the xe2x80x9cprivatexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9canonymousxe2x80x9d information to the called party. Alternatively, if the calling party opts to permit the transmission of information for this call only, then the calling party enters a special xe2x80x9cpresentation allowedxe2x80x9d code indicative of that fact (*82). The terminating switch provides the xe2x80x9cpresentation allowedxe2x80x9d code to the centralized name database to indicate that the name database should provide the calling party identification information despite the normal private status of that information in the database.
In the cellular communication environment, mobile stations or phones that have a display could also take advantage of the calling party number function. Stations referred to as IS-136 terminals have such a display. In the mobile environment, an example of which is shown in FIG. 2, a calling party 200 seeks to establish a communication with mobile station 209. In this example, the call is initiated through a Private Branch Exchange (PBX) 201 to a Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) 202. The call is routed to an Inter-Exchange Carrier (IXC) 204 through a long distance network to another IXC 205. The call is then routed to the appropriate LEC 206 and on to a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) 207. Alternatively, the call could be routed directly from the IXC to the MSC, bypassing the LEC. The terminating MSC analyzes the Calling Party Number (CPN) that is received and the information transmitted with that CPN to determine whether that number is one that can be displayed, i.e., whether the number is a private number. This is typically indicated by a code number such as xe2x80x9c00xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9c01xe2x80x9d associated with the CPN. If the CPN is not a private number (code xe2x80x9c00xe2x80x9d) then the terminating MSC sends a query back through data line 215, LEC 202 and dataline 211 to the subscriber database 203 that is associated with LEC 202. The calling party number is used to access the public name of the calling party and that public name is transmitted through the network to the terminating MSC 207 and associated with the CPN. Then the CPN and calling party name are transmitted to the mobile station 209 for display at base staion 208. The public name for an unlisted number can be suppressed such that only the calling number is presented to mobile station 209. An example of a display for such a mobile station is provided in FIG. 3. The station 300 has a keypad 301 and a display 302. The display has at least two display-lines 302a and 302b. The mobile station will display the calling party number on one line such as line 302a and the calling party ID that is accessed from the database on the other line, such as 302b. 
If the terminating MSC instead receives the CPN and a code denoting that the calling party number is private, e.g., xe2x80x9c01xe2x80x9d, then the terminating MSC does not send any query back through the network and instead merely provides information to the mobile station to display either xe2x80x9canonymousxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cprivatexe2x80x9d without displaying the telephone number.
When the terminating MSC does not receive the calling party number, the mobile station displays xe2x80x9cVOIDxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cUnavailablexe2x80x9d.
The existing calling party ID configurations limit the information which can be transmitted by the calling party to the called party. It is difficult for a calling party to tailor information for identifying the calling party to a given called party because the access to calling party information and the amount of information associated with the calling party is limited.
The present invention provides a capability for calling parties to provide alias information to a called party in lieu of merely identifying the calling party by some expression such as private or anonymous.
In accordance with the present invention, a calling party ID database can store multiple fields of calling party information for each calling number. For example, a first identification field associated with a calling number can be designated as a public name field which is to be provided in those circumstances where the calling party is not availing themselves of any private status or alias functionality. A second identification field may be associated with the calling party number and that second field can store calling party customized information. That information can take the form of an alias identification of the calling party, such as a nick-name or alternative name, or it can contain other message information such as an alternative telephone number for call back. A terminating LEC or MSC would send a query back for all received phone calls whether the received calling party number was associated with a status indicator that identified the call as a public status call or a private status call. The query would then access the appropriate identification field in the database using the status indicator associated with the calling party number. For example, if the status indicator shows that the calling party should receive the public name then the public name field is accessed. If, however, the status code indicates that the calling party has designated a private status, then the alias information field can be accessed by the query and provided to the terminating LEC or MSC.
In an alternative configuration, the present invention provides two calling party ID databases: one directed to private information and the other directed to public name information.